AMD Radeon Pro Vega 48 vs AMD Radeon RX 6600 LE Comparison

AMD Radeon RX 6600 LE and AMD Radeon Pro Vega 48 are two very different AMD GPUs separated by architecture, process node, and intended platform. The RX 6600 LE is a modern RDNA 2.0 part aimed at desktop gaming, while the Pro Vega 48 is a GCN 5.0 mobile integrated GPU from Apple’s Radeon Pro Mac lineup. Benchmark data shows a clear overall winner in raw compute, but the Pro Vega 48 holds distinct advantages in memory bandwidth and API support for Metal, making the choice heavily dependent on workload and platform.

Where Each One Wins

The RX 6600 LE wins decisively in both shared benchmark categories. In Geekbench OpenCL, it scores 69229 against the Pro Vega 48’s 53757, a 28.8% advantage. In Geekbench Vulkan, the RX 6600 LE scores 72428 versus 57653, a 25.6% lead. These are not marginal differences; the RX 6600 LE outperforms the Pro Vega 48 by roughly a quarter to nearly a third in general-purpose compute and Vulkan graphics workloads.

The Pro Vega 48’s strengths are not visible in the head-to-head metrics but are clear in its specifications. It uses HBM2 memory with a 2048-bit bus, delivering 402.4 GB/s of bandwidth—nearly double the RX 6600 LE’s 224.0 GB/s over a 128-bit GDDR6 bus. For memory-bound tasks that favor bandwidth over raw compute throughput, such as certain professional visualization or data-heavy workloads, the Pro Vega 48 would theoretically hold an edge. Additionally, it supports the Metal API (its Geekbench Metal score is 69010), which the RX 6600 LE does not appear in the data for. The Pro Vega 48 also has more shading units (3072 vs 1792) and more texture mapping units (192 vs 112), though its lower clock speeds and older architecture negate much of that advantage in practice.

In terms of ecosystem placement, the RX 6600 LE sits in the 91st percentile of all GPUs, while the Pro Vega 48 sits in the 88th. The RX 6600 LE’s average benchmark score is 70829, and its nearest rival is the AMD Radeon RX 6650M at 71768 (1.3% faster) and the NVIDIA RTX A3000 Mobile at 70140 (1% slower). The Pro Vega 48’s average is 60140, with its closest competitor being the Intel Arc Pro A60 at 60326 (0.3% faster) and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 at 60347 (0.3% faster)—a surprising comparison that shows the Pro Vega 48 is essentially tied with a flagship consumer card in this specific metric, likely due to driver or workload characteristics.

Architecture Differences

The RX 6600 LE is built on RDNA 2.0 architecture using the Navi 23 chip, fabricated on a 7 nm process at TSMC. It contains 11,060 million transistors on a 237 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 46.7 million per mm². The Pro Vega 48 uses GCN 5.0 architecture with the Vega 10 chip, fabricated on a 14 nm process at GlobalFoundries. It packs 12,500 million transistors on a much larger 495 mm² die, with a significantly lower transistor density of 25.3 million per mm².

These architectural differences drive clock speeds. The RX 6600 LE has a base clock of 1626 MHz, a game clock of 2045 MHz, and a boost clock of 2495 MHz. The Pro Vega 48 has no listed base, boost, or game clocks, only a memory clock of 786 MHz (1572 Mbps effective). The RX 6600 LE also features 28 ray tracing cores, which the Pro Vega 48 completely lacks. Its FP32 throughput is 8.942 TFLOPS versus the Pro Vega 48’s 7.373 TFLOPS, and FP16 is 17.88 TFLOPS versus 14.75 TFLOPS (both at 2:1 ratio).

The RX 6600 LE supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), while the Pro Vega 48 stops at DirectX 12 (12_1). Vulkan support differs slightly: 1.4 on the RX 6600 LE versus 1.3 on the Pro Vega 48. OpenGL is identical at 4.6. The RX 6600 LE uses a PCIe 4.0 x8 interface, while the Pro Vega 48 uses PCIe 3.0 x16. The RX 6600 LE is a dual-slot card with a 1x 8-pin power connector and a suggested 300 W PSU; the Pro Vega 48 is an integrated graphics package (IGP) with no power connectors and its display outputs are listed as "Portable Device Dependent," reflecting its Mac laptop origins.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The Geekbench OpenCL test is the largest single win for the RX 6600 LE. Its score of 69229 versus 53757 represents a 28.8% delta, which is substantial for any GPU comparison. This indicates that in raw compute workloads using OpenCL, the newer RDNA 2.0 architecture is significantly more efficient per clock and per watt than the older GCN 5.0 design, despite the Pro Vega 48 having 71% more shading units (3072 vs 1792).

The Geekbench Vulkan test shows a similar pattern, with the RX 6600 LE scoring 72428 against 57653, a 25.6% delta. Vulkan is a modern low-level API, and the RX 6600 LE’s support for version 1.4 (versus 1.3 on the Pro Vega 48) plus its ray tracing hardware likely contribute to this margin. The Pro Vega 48’s best performance comes in Geekbench Metal, where it scores 69010—a number that exceeds its own OpenCL score by 28% and its Vulkan score by 20%, showing that the Metal API is clearly its optimal environment. However, since the RX 6600 LE has no Metal benchmark listed, a direct comparison in that API is not possible from this data.

Looking at overall averages, the RX 6600 LE sits at 70829, which is 17.8% higher than the Pro Vega 48’s 60140. The RX 6600 LE’s nearest rival, the RX 6650M, beats it by only 1.3%, while the Pro Vega 48’s nearest rival, the Arc Pro A60, beats it by just 0.3%. This means the RX 6600 LE is competitive with mid-range mobile workstation GPUs, while the Pro Vega 48 is essentially in a dead heat with a broad range of very different cards, from professional to consumer flagship.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has higher raw compute performance?

A: The RX 6600 LE. It delivers 8.942 TFLOPS FP32 versus the Pro Vega 48’s 7.373 TFLOPS, and in Geekbench OpenCL it leads by 28.8% (69229 vs 53757).

Q: Does the Pro Vega 48 have any memory advantage?

A: Yes, significantly. It uses HBM2 with a 2048-bit bus and 402.4 GB/s bandwidth, compared to the RX 6600 LE’s GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus at 224.0 GB/s—a 79.6% bandwidth advantage for the Pro Vega 48.

Q: Which GPU supports newer APIs?

A: The RX 6600 LE. It supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2) and Vulkan 1.4, while the Pro Vega 48 only supports DirectX 12 (12_1) and Vulkan 1.3. Both support OpenGL 4.6.

Q: What is the Pro Vega 48’s best benchmark result?

A: Its Geekbench Metal score of 69010 is its highest, outperforming its own OpenCL score (53757) and Vulkan score (57653) by substantial margins.

Q: How do their transistor counts compare?

A: The Pro Vega 48 has more transistors (12,500 million) than the RX 6600 LE (11,060 million), but the RX 6600 LE packs them far denser (46.7M/mm² vs 25.3M/mm²) on a smaller die (237 mm² vs 495 mm²).

Q: Are they both production cards?

A: No. The RX 6600 LE is listed as "Active" production status, released 2023-12-07, while the Pro Vega 48 is "End-of-life," released 2019-03-18.

Specification Differences

| Specification | AMD Radeon RX 6600 LE | AMD Radeon Pro Vega 48 |

|---|---|---|

| Architecture | RDNA 2.0 | GCN 5.0 |

| Chip | Navi 23 | Vega 10 |

| Process Node | 7 nm (TSMC) | 14 nm (GlobalFoundries) |

| Transistors | 11,060 million | 12,500 million |

| Die Size | 237 mm² | 495 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 46.7M / mm² | 25.3M / mm² |

| Base Clock | 1626 MHz | Not listed |

| Boost Clock | 2495 MHz | Not listed |

| Game Clock | 2045 MHz | Not listed |

| Memory Clock | 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective) | 786 MHz (1572 Mbps effective) |

| Memory Type | GDDR6 | HBM2 |

| Memory Bus Width | 128 bit | 2048 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 224.0 GB/s | 402.4 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 1792 | 3072 |

| TMUs | 112 | 192 |

| ROPs | 64 | 64 |

| Ray Tracing Cores | 28 | None |

| Pixel Rate | 159.7 GPixel/s | 76.80 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 279.4 GTexel/s | 230.4 GTexel/s |

| FP32 | 8.942 TFLOPS | 7.373 TFLOPS |

| FP16 | 17.88 TFLOPS (2:1) | 14.75 TFLOPS (2:1) |

| TDP | 132 W | Not listed |

| Slot Width | Dual-slot | IGP |

| Power Connectors | 1x 8-pin | None |

| Suggested PSU | 300 W | Not listed |

| Bus Interface | PCIe 4.0 x8 | PCIe 3.0 x16 |

| Display Outputs | 1x HDMI 2.1, 3x DisplayPort 1.4a | Portable Device Dependent |

| DirectX | 12 Ultimate (12_2) | 12 (12_1) |

| Vulkan | 1.4 | 1.3 |

| Production Status | Active | End-of-life |

| Release Date | 2023-12-07 | 2019-03-18 |

| Dimensions | 190 mm x 110 mm x 40 mm | Not listed |

The Verdict

The RX 6600 LE is the superior GPU for any workload that uses OpenCL or Vulkan. The data shows a 28.8% lead in OpenCL and a 25.6% lead in Vulkan, which are decisive margins that outweigh the Pro Vega 48’s advantages in memory bandwidth and shading unit count. The RX 6600 LE also has a higher average benchmark score (70829 vs 60140) and a higher percentile ranking (91st vs 88th). Its modern architecture brings ray tracing, DirectX 12 Ultimate, and a smaller, cooler, more efficient package at 132 W TDP with a 300 W suggested PSU.

The Pro Vega 48 is only worth considering in two specific scenarios. First, if your workload is exclusively Metal-based, its score of 69010 is competitive with the RX 6600 LE’s OpenCL and Vulkan scores, though no direct Metal comparison exists. Second, if your application is severely memory-bandwidth constrained, the 402.4 GB/s HBM2 setup is a genuine advantage. However, the Pro Vega 48 is end-of-life, has no ray tracing support, uses an older 14 nm process, and is an integrated part with no user-replaceable power or display options—it is locked to a portable Mac device. For anyone building or upgrading a desktop system, the RX 6600 LE is the clear choice based on performance data and architectural longevity.